The diminutive Citroen Ami Cargo Electric, a last-mile electric vehicle designed to live in the city, will be coming to the UK in 2022.
Joining Citroen’s 100%-electric e-LCV line-up, the Ami will sit below the compact e-Berlingo van as a niche model designed for ultra-urban and urgent city-centre deliveries. The mid-size e-Dispatch and larger e-Relay complete the French manufacturer’s electric range.
“I am incredibly excited to see the Ami Cargo arrive in the UK next year,” commented Eurig Druce, managing director of Citroen UK. “With more cities across the UK introducing restrictions for conventional vehicles, Ami Cargo Electric will provide businesses and fleet customers with the opportunity to continue their urban and last-mile operations in a practical, sustainable and cost-efficient way.”
Citroen Ami Cargo: Payload Capacity
A little over 2.4 metres long, the Ami Cargo has been developed from the regular passenger version, although the tiny city car can only seat two people. For the Cargo version, one of those seats has been converted into a secure load area, able to accommodate 260 litres and 140kg of freight.
Combined with space already available in the Ami, that leaves a total cargo area of up to 400 litres. A secondary shelf unit can hold up to 40kg and has been designed to work either as a storage unit or as a mobile desk, featuring an A4 size cut-out that can paperwork firmly in place.
There’s also a small secure storage area to the rear of the cabin that can accommodate personal items, such as smartphones, sunglasses, or wallets.
Citroen Ami Cargo: Electric Powertrain
The Ami Cargo Electric is powered by a 6kW electric motor, with a 5.5kWh battery pack providing the energy to keep going for up to 46miles.
That translates to just 8hp, which is enough to take the vehicle to a maximum speed limited to 28mph. While that doesn’t sound significant, it’s likely to be enough for the city centres the vehicle is designed for and, in many European countries, means it can be driven without a licence by somebody as young as 14.
That won’t apply in the UK, where you will need either a full driving licence or a suitable moped licence, once you’ve completed a CBT test.
We’ve driven the regular passenger version and found it to be more than capable of spending a few hours zipping around London without running the battery down too far or feeling like it’s dragging too much behind the flow of traffic.
Charging is carried out via a regular three-pin socket, with a full charge from empty taking around three hours. At current rates, that’ll cost you around a pound from a domestic supply.
Citroen Ami Cargo: Running Costs
Citroen won’t thank us for saying this, but it’s unlikely that you’ll ever need to get your Ami serviced. Few moving parts, and a simple and inherently reliable electric motor, means there’s not much to go wrong. There aren’t even any complex electronics inside, as your phone does the heavy lifting of providing navigation and entertainment.
Five hours or so of urban driving each day will cost around £1, so a full week of local deliveries will cost less than a pint in a swish London pub. Add to that the fact it avoids the Congestion Charge and the new Ultra-Low Emissions Zone charge and it could save a fortune over a traditional compact van.
Citroen Ami Cargo: Pricing and Availability
While there are currently no specific dates for the Ami Cargo’s arrival, it’s been confirmed that it will be available in the UK
in 2022. Pricing also hasn’t been confirmed, but it’s possible to lease one for as little as £20 a month in France, after subsidies and a modest deposit. Expect a price tag of around £5,000 in the UK, though.
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